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Combating ozone pollution is really about time. When I was back at Ohio EPA, we had countless meeting discussing how Ohio could (or whether it could) accelerate progress dramatically in reducing ozone pollution. During that time we would discuss "on-the-books controls" versus new state initiatives.
"On-the-book controls" referred to a suite of federal air
On August 21st, the D.C. Circuit Court vacated U.S. EPA’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) also known at the "Transport Rule." This is not the first time EPA has had its power plant pollution reduction rule vacated. The Transport Rule was the replacement to the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) which was also struck down
U.S. EPA has released its CAIR replacement program called the "Transport Rule." In a previous post I discussed EPA’s efforts under the Transport Rule to address the Court’s ruling striking down the CAIR rule. After listening to a presentation by EPA, the structure of the Transport Rule is a little clearer.
The major issue identified by the Court
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U.S. EPA released is long awaited replacement rule for the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) which was the controversial cap and trade program for coal-fired utilities. In December of 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled CAIR exceeded EPA’s regulatory authority and ordered the Agency to develop an new proposal.
Originally, the
A new report regarding fine particulate pollution in the Midwest shows that achieving compliance with federal air quality standards is linked to U.S. EPA’s fix for the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). The Lake Michigan Air Director’s Consortium (LADCO) released its white paper discussing recommendation on addressing fine particulate (p.m. 2.5) pollution in the Midwest. The white paper
In National Farm Bureau Federation v. EPA, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has granted environmental group petition for review of the NAAQS for fine particle pollution known as PM 2.5. Environmental groups and industry groups both challenged portions of EPA’s standard. The EPA had decided to maintain the annual standard at 15 μg/m3. The Court
Today, EPA Administrator-designate Lisa P. Jackson distributed a memo to all employees of EPA. The memo outlines her and President Obama’s philosophy of environmental protection. The memo is an interesting demarcation of the major changes that are coming in the realm of environmental protection.
Some priorities Ms. Jackson is very upfront about, such as
On January 13, 2009, Judge Lacy Thornburg of the District Court for the Western District of North Carolina issued a major decision in case of North Carolina v. TVA. When filed, this case was seen as another chapter in the on-going battle between downwind and upwind states over cross-border pollution.
However, the decision and implications
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its much anticipated decision in response to U.S. EPA’s request for reconsideration of the decision vacating the CAIR program. The decision marks an important victory for U.S. EPA, the State and provides some level of certainty for utilities.
The Court decided to remand the rule to U.S.
Is the Court showing signs that it may have gone too far is throwing out CAIR? After EPA filed a request for rehearing, a hopeful sign emerged last month when the Court asked the parties challenging CAIR to respond to two questions: